`Railfans' Love Trains, But They Draw Stares From Cops After 9-11

Since The Fbi Said Al-qaeda Might Target Railroads, Hobbyists Have Faced Scrutiny.

November 17, 2002|By Don Phillips, the Washington Post

On a balmy Sunday afternoon late last month, Richard Whitenight did what he often does on his days off: He went to a busy railroad junction in Fort Worth, Texas, to watch the trains roll by.

But as he sat making notes about passing freight trains, two police cruisers approached. During the next five hours, Whitenight -- who works for the Police Department in nearby Arlington -- identified himself to the officers. Then he identified himself to the officers' supervisor, then a detective from a terrorism task force, then the FBI. They seized his trainspotter's notebook and grilled him about every mark and note in it. They searched his car and photographed it inside and out. Finally, he had to sign a form agreeing never to return to the location known as Tower 55.

THOUSANDS WATCH TRAINS

Whitenight is one of thousands, perhaps millions, of people around the world who spend time observing and photographing railroad operations out of a love for trains. In general, railroads have encouraged these "railfans" as long as they do not trespass or interfere with operations. Railroads even hold contests to use railfan photographs in calendars, and the Association of American Railroads has started a Web site to encourage the hobby.

But after the FBI announced last month that it had credible reports that al-Qaeda might be targeting railroads, a growing minority of railfans have been questioned and sometimes searched. A handful have even been threatened with arrest, for pursuing a hobby they've embraced for years.

Law-enforcement officers and train crews have been told to be on the lookout for suspicious characters asking detailed questions about railroad operations, taking notes and taking pictures of trains. It appears the descriptions of "terrorist" and "railfan" are the same.

"It's an unfortunate coincidence," said Edward Hamberger, president of the Association of American Railroads. But he said railroads may be a terrorist target, and "we want them to know we're not a soft target. People have to recognize they will be approached; they will be questioned; they will be asked to move on."

"Railfanning, by its very nature, is suspicious," said John Bromley, longtime head of public relations for Union Pacific, the nation's largest railroad. "It involves loitering, taking pictures and taking notes."

`TOLD TO REPORT US'

Some railfans are railroaders themselves; some museum curators, professors and others with a link to railroading. Others come from all walks of life. Some become minutely specialized, such as one group that follows the movements of a single type of diesel locomotive, recording and tracking their engine numbers.

But most are like Whitenight, 54, a Vietnam-era Navy veteran who simply loves to watch trains. In fact, until the FBI warning, dozens of railfans would regularly gather at Tower 55, an old switching and signal tower where main lines of the Union Pacific and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe converge near downtown Fort Worth.

A lot of the train crews came to know the group and often waved and smiled.

"Some of the guys recognize us," Whitenight said. "They see us all the time. But now they've been told to report us."

Even though "train crews sort of know a railfan when they see one," as Bromley put it, Union Pacific has ordered them to report all activity that might be remotely suspicious. That includes people taking pictures of trains, even if they are doing so legally and are not trespassing on railroad property. Railroad police or local police departments are then dispatched to investigate.

REPORTS ON RISE RECENTLY

Reports of suspicious activity are "up significantly" in the past few weeks, Bromley said. "We certainly aren't out to destroy an American tradition of watching trains, but we have to be careful."

Norfolk Southern has taken similar steps, although Robert Fort, communications vice president, said railfans won't be subject to arrest unless they are trespassing. Even then police generally just escort railfans off railroad property, he said.

"Tact and diplomacy are the order of the day," Fort said.

Spokesmen for Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Amtrak and CSX Transportation say they are not specifically targeting photographers but have asked crews to report suspicious activity.

Normally, police who encounter railfans simply check identities and record names and other basic information. But a few encounters go beyond that. Internet chat groups have been filled with stories of conflicts with police and railroad employees, including one Union Pacific conductor who ran to shout at a railfan to stop taking pictures of his train.

RAILFANS MIGHT HELP POLICE

Even as police and the railroads view railfans with suspicion, Federal Railroad Administrator Alan Rutter said the railfan network could be "a real value" in spotting truly suspicious activity. An FRA spokesman said that in addition to perusing Web sites, the agency's field staff has begun asking people it knows to be legitimate railfans to report suspicious activity.